Hata clan

Hata clan was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period (250–538), according to the history of Japan laid out in Nihon Shoki (720).

Hata
秦
The Kagome mon, the supposed heraldic symbol of the clan.
Home provinceSilla
Parent houseUnknown, Yíng (self proclaimed)
TitlesVarious
FounderYuzuki no Kimi (弓月君)
Founding year2nd century BCE
Dissolution9th century?
Cadet branches

Origins

The origin of the clan has been a debated topic for many Japanese historians and scholars.

Many have suggested different kingdoms of East Asia starting from Baekje, Qin Dynasty, Gaya to Silla.

Baekje

The first mention of Hata clan was in Nihon Shoki, describing an immigrant clan (known as "Toraikei (渡来系)" in Japanese) arriving in Japan led by "Yuzuki no Kimi (弓月君)" from Baekje.[1]

According to the Nihon Shoki, during the reign of Emperor Ōjin, Yuzuki no Kimi visited Japan from the Kingdom of Baekje where he stated that he had long wanted to emigrate to Japan, but the Kingdom of Silla would not permit him to do so. Having enjoyed the experience of meeting 120 people of his clan at Mimana. Yuzuki no Kimi left Japan but soon returned, in 283, with additional members of his clan "from 120 districts of his own land".[1]

Some point out to the name of Yuzuki no Kimi being of Korean origin. According to Japanese linguists, "弓月君" could be a direct translation of "Kudara (くだら)" a unique name for Baekje in Japanese. In Old Korean, "弓月" could be read as "Kudara (구달아)" which is thought to have carried over to the Japanese language as being of Baekje descent as both words share the same pronunciation.

Qin Dynasty

Contrary to the accounts made in Nihon Shoki, the Shinsen Shōjiroku (814) claims that Yuzuki no Kimi, was allegedly a descendant of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty.[2][3] Thus the reason behind Hata being written with the character "Qin (秦)".

Gaya Confederacy

As mentioned in Nihon Shoki, Yuzuki no Kimi claimed he had 120 people in Mimana, a place name that points to the Gaya confederacy in Korea. Therefore, it has been theorized that the Hata clan had immigrated from Gaya rather than Baekje.

Silla

Though not directly stated in either Nihon Shoki or Shinsen Shōjiroku, modern Japanese scholars theorize Silla was the place of origin of the Hata clan.[4][5][6]

Modern analysis and accounts

After extensive research and historical analysis, Japanese historians have concluded that the Hata clan originated from Silla and not any of the previously mentioned kingdoms. The city of Kyoto[4] and Fushimi Inari-taisha[5] (the shrine that officially commemorates the Hata clan) have publicly stated that "despite the ancient records being unreliable, it can be deduced that the Hata clan originates from the kingdom of Silla."[4][5]

The etymology of "Hata" is believed to be "Hada (肌)" meaning "skin" alluding to the silk produced by the immigrants, or "Hata/Hada (波多)" a Japanese translation of the Korean word "Pada (바다)" meaning "ocean" as they came across the seas.[6] They were later given official titles ranging from "Toroshikō (登呂志公)", "Hatano Sakeno Kimi (秦酒公)" and "Taihata (太秦)" after being recognized as a legitimate clan of Japan.

Main articles: Shinsen Shōjiroku and Jinhan Confederacy § History

It is thought that the misconception revolving around the origins of Jinhan (previous kingdom of Silla) being built by Qin Dynasty refugees, first mentioned in San Guo Zhi, was what caused the Silla immigrants to become descendants of the Qin Dynasty in Shinsen Shōjiroku (see History of Jinhan Confederacy).[7][8] The book is also criticized by modern Japanese historians for putting "Kan (漢)" under "Han Dynasty" and not the three kingdoms of Korea,[9] the same way it put Hata under Qin Dynasty instead of Silla.[10] It also contradicts the claims made in Nihon Shoki (the first and oldest mentioning of Hata) that Yuzuki no Kimi was from Qin Dynasty and not Baekje without providing any substantial evidence. For further context, Nihon Shoki lack any mentions of Qin when discussing about Hata.[11]

Finally, excavations in Hata clan's whereabouts have been of Silla origin. It is also reinforced by the fact that the Miroku Bosatsu statue, "Hōkan Miroku (宝冠弥勒)" in Kōryū-ji, built by the Hata clan[12] was made of woods from Silla (present day South Gyeongsang Province) and was gifted to Japan from Silla in 623 according to the Nihon Shoki.[1]

It is believed that centuries after immigrants from Silla had settled, the author of Nihon Shoki accidentally credited them of Baekje origin (due to Japan's close relationship with Baekje at the time) by providing them a story that would give credence to their position as a Japanese clan. After another century later, when Emperor Saga ordered for a compilation of family names, under the misguided assumption that Silla (Jinhan) was of Qin's origin, it was recorded in Shinsen Shōjiroku that in turn, the Hata clan was originally from the Qin Dynasty.

Influence

The Hata were the most prominent inhabitants of the Kyoto basin at the time the area entered into history, in the 6th and 7th centuries.[13]

The Hata are said to have been adept at financial matters, and to have introduced silk raising and weaving to Japan. For this reason, they may have been associated with the kagome crest, a lattice shape found in basket-weaving. During the reign of Emperor Nintoku (313-399), the members of the clan were sent to different parts of the country to spread the knowledge and practice of sericulture. Members of this clan also served as financial advisors to the Yamato Court for several centuries. Originally landing and settling in Izumo and the San'yō region, the Hata eventually settled in the areas where Japan's most important cities are now. They are said to have aided in the establishment of Heian-kyō (modern-day Kyoto), and of many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, including Fushimi Inari Taisha, Matsunoo Taisha, and Kōryū-ji. Emperor Yūryaku granted the clan the family name of Uzumasa in 471, in honor of Sakeno kimi's contributions to the spread of sericulture. Over the next few centuries, they were given the right to the status (kabane) of Miyatsuko, and later Imiki.

A number of samurai clans, including the Chōsokabe clan of Shikoku, the Kawakatsu clan of Tanba, and the Jinbō clan of Echigo province, claimed descent from the Hata. The Koremune clan, also allegedly descended from the Emperor of Qin, were related to the Hata as well. Prince Koman-O came to dwell in Japan in the reign of Emperor Ōjin (c. 310). His successors received the name Hata. This name was changed to Koremune in 880. The wife of Shimazu Tadahisa (1179–1227) (son of Minamoto no Yoritomo and ancestor of the Shimazu clan of Kyūshū), was a daughter of Koremune Hironobu.

The population of Neyagawa in Osaka Prefecture includes a number of people who claim descent from the Hata. The cities of Ōhata and Yahata are not directly related to Hata clan.

The Hata were also claimed as ancestors by Zeami Motokiyo, the premiere Noh playwright in history, who attributed the origins of Noh to Hata no Kawakatsu. According to Zeami's writings, Kōkatsu, the ancestor of both the Kanze and Komparu Noh lineages, introduced ritual dances to Japan in the sixth century; this form would later evolve into Okina and then into Noh. A more important influence upon the formation and the character of Noh is the Chinese Nuo rite. While sanyue (sangaku) and daqu influenced the development of Noh in terms of dramatic structure and presentation, the Nuo rite played a significant role in formulating Noh's religious and ritualistic character and features.[14]

Uzumasa-no-Kimi-Sukune, one of the first clan heads, arrived during the reign of Emperor Chūai, in the 2nd century CE. According to the Nihon Shoki, he and his followers were greeted warmly, and Uzumasa was granted a high government position.

Jewish ancestry theory
Further information: Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory
See also: History of the Jews in China

The hypothesis that the Hata clan were a Jewish Nestorian tribe was proposed by Saeki Yoshiro in 1908. Saeki developed a theory described by Ben-Ami Shillony as being "somewhat similar" to that advanced by Norman McLeod in 1879.

In 1879 the Scottish businessman Norman McLeod, who had lived in Japan since 1867, published in Nagasaki Japan and the Lost Tribes of Israel. Based on "personal research and observation", the book identified the Japanese as the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes... Over thirty years later, in 1908, Saeki Yoshiro (1872-1965), a Waseda University professor, a Christian, and expert on Chinese Nestorians, published a book in which he developed a somewhat similar theory. According to Saeki, the Hata clan, which arrived from Korea and settled in Japan in the third century, was a Jewish-Nestorian tribe... Saeki's writings spread the theory about "the common ancestry of the Japanese and the Jews" (Nichi-Yu dosoron) in Japan, a theory that was endorsed by some Christian groups.[15]

There is no evidence available, including modern DNA analysis, to support this hypothesis. A recently published study of the genetic origins of Japanese people does not support a genealogical link as put forward by Saeki.[16] Researcher and author Jon Entine emphasizes that DNA evidence excludes the possibility of significant links between Japanese and Jews.[17]

Hata tribe members of note

See also

Citations
  1. "Nihon Shoki", Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 935–936, 2021, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58292-0_140217, ISBN 978-3-030-58291-3
  2. Shinsen Shōjiroku "出自秦始皇帝三世孫孝武王也"
  3. McCullough, William H. (1999). "The capital and its society". The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 2: Heian Japan. Cambridge University Press. p. 98. ISBN 0-521-22353-9.
  4. "都市史01 ~秦氏~" [History of the City 01 ~Hata clan~]. Kyoto City (in Japanese).
  5. "伊奈利社創祀前史｜伏見稲荷大社". Fushimi Inari Taisha (in Japanese).
  6. "弓月の君秦氏の謎 | 秦歴史文化遺産保存". www.kibinosato-hada.com (in Japanese).
  7. 笠井倭人「朝鮮語より見た秦・漢両氏の始祖名」（小林行雄博士古稀記念論文集刊行委員会編『考古学論考』平凡社、1982年）
  8. [佐伯:1994 369]
  9. 『古代国家と天皇』創元社、1957年
  10. Takaoka, Nobuyuki; 片岡, 伸行 (2023-07-31). "神々のルーツ　明日香の地と「今木神」 – 全日本民医連". www.min-iren.gr.jp (in Japanese). Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (全日本民主医療機関連合会).
  11. "Nihon Shoki", Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 935–936, 2021, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58292-0_140217, ISBN 978-3-030-58291-3
  12. Japan Tourist Info.
  13. McCullough, William H. (1999). "The capital and its society". The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 2: Heian Japan. Cambridge University Press. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-521-22353-9.
  14. Tian, Min (2003). "Chinese Nuo and Japanese Noh: Nuo's Role in the Origination and Formation of Noh". Comparative Drama. 37 (3/4): 343–360. ISSN 0010-4078. JSTOR 41154198.
  15. Ben Ami-Shillony, The Jews and the Japanese: The Successful Outsiders, pp. 135-7 (Rutland, VT: Tuttle, 1991)
  16. Dual origins of the Japanese: common ground for hunter-gatherer and farmer Y chromosomes. pdf
  17. Abraham's children: race, identity, and the DNA of the chosen people

References
  • Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
  • Rimer, J. Thomas and Yamazaki Masakazu trans. (1984). "On the Art of the Nō Drama: The Major Treatises of Zeami." Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  • Teshima, Ikuro (1973). The Ancient Refugees From Religious Persecution in Japan: The Tribe of Hada - Their Religious and Cultural Influence. 1.
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